Applied Coaching Research Journal Research Journal 2 | Page 12

APPLIED COACHING RESEARCH JOURNAL 2018, Vol. 2
taking the first step was daunting and the first
point of contact was significant in keeping them
on board. Some coaches reported that they had
felt excluded from educational opportunities
previously, which made them more reluctant to
engage in any form of training. A warm welcome,
that was relaxed, informal and personal, was seen
as important in breaking down this barrier.
Little and often support
Little and often support involved smaller elements
of support over a longer period of time. It
combined formal learning, such as qualifications,
with mentoring and work-based in situ support,
digital communication, a platform for peer sharing
practice, and access to digital and shared resources.
This support was offered weekly, with the option
of daily interaction if any specific needs were
identified. The average duration of the programme
was three to six months, from start to finish.
Meet the coaches - Karen
Karen, aged 37 comes from a Traveller family
background and already had interest in health and
belly-dancing when she became involved with the
programme. A lack of confidence and juggling child
care had previously hampered her plans to be a
coach. The programme ‘opened the door’ for her
to access opportunities at her own pace and in a
flexible way. She is now a coach and involved with
leading well-being activities in Wolverhampton.
“The delivery was absolutely great. The deliverer
was very humble, very confident, very respectful,
very motivated indeed, and helped us with any
queries, any problems, anything we wanted to
know.” (Karen, aged 37)
A number of coaches discussed the benefits of
the ‘little and often’ approach to the programme.
They reported that it allowed progression to occur
over a longer period of time and ensured that
coaches didn’t feel ‘thrown in at the deep end’.
This was particularly important for ‘newbies’ who
felt that the little and often support gave them the
confidence to continue to the next stage of their
journey. All of the coaches interviewed reported
that one-to-one support had improved their
confidence. Although this programme might take
slightly longer than a conventional coach education
course, there was consensus amongst those
involved that it built confidence and a more solid
foundation on which to develop further.
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“It might take a bit longer but you get much more
out of it from the support.” (Leanne, aged 21)
“I’m totally confident. When you’re ready, they give
you the confidence boost.” (Karen, aged 37)
Little and often support was also important to more
experienced coaches who benefited from support
‘on the job’ and the transition to other roles, such
as mentoring and course delivery. The support
was complemented by regular connection through
digital platforms, such as WhatsApp, Skype and
Facebook Live. This allowed connection with their
peers and mentors in a community of practice type
environment.
“It helped me develop confidence and helped me
develop in terms of how I process information with
the session going on.” (Leroy, aged 27)
During the evaluation, it was important to
consider how the coaches compared the support
they had received through the programme, to
other programmes with little or no follow up
support. Coaches that had previously attended
other coaching courses highlighted a number of
disadvantages with traditional ‘block delivery’
courses. They felt that those courses did not
provide much opportunity to apply their learning,
particularly if the qualification was in a new sport
for them. In addition, once the course was over,
they felt cut off from any ongoing or future support.
“With a qualification (block delivery) because I knew
nothing other than what I learnt on that course….
once you’ve finished the qualification they sort of
wipe their hands of you.” (Ryan, aged 20)
“I did a Level 2 qualification and I was there for
three weekends. Since I’ve finished the course
I’ve not heard from them. I haven’t really done
much with it. As soon as I was qualified I didn’t
even know like where to begin, whereas with
this programme I was straight into employment.”
(Lucas, aged 20)
In comparison, another coach discussed how she
was able to draw together knowledge she had
gained from formal course delivery, with the
feedback she had received from her mentor in a
range of coaching contexts.